A clamping mechanism for joining a hollow part to a solid shaft is described in German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, which describes fitting a solid shaft into the hollow part without clearance, two conical rings being pressed against each other. The force-receiving part (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 19) retains the expansions and deformations of the hollow part caused by this pressing against one another and thus reduces the elasticity of the hollow part.
It is also disadvantageous that the number of parts is high, and it is costly to manufacture the hollow part and especially two parts (27, 32) having a cone. In addition, during mounting of the clamping assembly, the solid shaft is pressed, and the clamping force or contraction force is produced by movement of the ring (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 33) and of the inwardly-directed flange (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 34). In so doing, the hollow part is shifted axially relative to the solid shaft. This is a considerable disadvantage if the hollow part is used in a gear unit or other device and is held in its axial position by suitable components, e.g., by retaining rings. Considerable forces are then generated which stress the bearings and may lead to their failure.
In addition, in the region of the force-receiving part (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 19), the hollow part has a stair-step profile of the inside diameter which leads to a stress concentration and therefore represents a possible breaking point.
A further disadvantage is that when removing or during disassembly, the screws (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 21) must be unscrewed and other screws having a larger thread must be screwed in. Thus, it is necessary to keep such other screws on hand for the disassembly. This requires too much effort and is costly. In addition, during disassembly, the clamping ring (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 33) must be turned in order to offer an opposite surface on the force-receiving part (See German Published Patent Application No. 42 30 941, Figure, reference numeral 19) to the other screws. This turning is troublesome, particularly when corrosion or changes such as sticking or the like have taken place during the service life.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clamping mechanism which is as inexpensive and easy to handle as possible.